Michelle Stoffel, Ph.D.

M4-P8Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutics

I was raised in Muscatine, Iowa and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2005 with dual degrees in Biology and Modern Languages. My interest in medicine was sparked during my undergraduate anatomy class, and reinforced by working at a locally-owned pharmacy in my hometown after college. During my time there, I was inspired by how caring, knowledgeable providers can transform the healthcare experience of their patients through good communication and a personalized treatment approach. I am pursuing an MD/PhD degree because I am motivated by the opportunity to be involved in both the further understanding of disease processes and the development of therapeutic interventions as both a researcher and a physician.

As a graduate student in Dr. Beth Levant's lab in the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, I studied the effects of a model of early to moderate Parkinson's disease in rats. I characterized these effects using a novel silver nucleolar and tyrosine hydroxylase (AgNOR) staining protocol combined with stereological microscopy techniques. I was co-mentored by Dr. John Stanford in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology at KUMC and Dr. Omar Ahmad in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at St. Louis University.

My long-term career goals are to work in academia as an active physician-scientist in a specialty where I can combine my interest in pharmacology and histopathology research with my clinical practice.